Penguins News

Quote Roundup: Game 3 (Predators)

Here's what the Pens had to say heading into Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against Nashville...

ON WHAT THEY EXPECT FROM THE CROWD

Rust: "It's going to be fun. There's going to be a lot of energy. The crowd is going to be loud. That city is really energetic right now and I'm excited for it."

Sheary: "It's going to be loud, obviously this is a good building to play in. it's fun. Their environment is usually pretty good. And I heard throughout the playoffs they've been the loudest fans. So we'll expect that and we'll try to take them out of it as much as we can, but that's also a fun and exciting environment to play in, so we're excited for that."

Murray: "Most buildings are pretty loud. You hear a lot about Nashville for sure. They have a great fan base and we're very excited for the finals here. It still doesn't change my mindset. Just focus on the task at hand and block all of that stuff out."

ON HOW TO DEAL WITH THE ATMOSPHERE

Crosby: "I think you just try to set the tone ourselves as best we can. We watch games on TV. We can see they play a pretty inspired game here. I think just try to go with the same mindset we have on the road all playoffs long. We know they feed off their crowd. Hopefully we can get on them early."

Cullen: "I think it just comes down to basically playing our game. When you get down to it, it's still just two teams playing against each other on the ice and it'd about who comes out and plays harder. So that's our entire focus. I think that as a group we can feed off of the crowd. It makes it fun. That's what the playoffs are all about. It's an unbelievable atmosphere, so we're looking forward to that."

Daley: "It's a great spot. Every time I've been there it's a live and electric place to play. Don't expect anything different. We may get some excitement out of it too. We're out there playing too. We just pretend that they're cheering for us."

Sullivan: "I just think we got to play the game the right way. I don't know if that's dull or exciting. The way I look at it, it's not like we have a game plan for home and a game plan for away. We put a game plan together that we think plays to the strength of this group. Regardless of where the game is being played, that's the game we're going to try to play. I think it's a great environment. I know our players are excited to be a part of it. This isn't something that's new to this group. We've been in a lot of raucous buildings over the years here. This is just another one. For me it's that much more fun to be a part of. This is the best time of year to be playing. They're exciting environments to go into, regardless of what building you're playing in. I know our players are excited about it."

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF A STRONG START

Sheary: "I think it is important to take them out of it as soon as you can. You don't want to let them get momentum. It is intimidating environment when they get loud and when they get behind their team. We want to make sure we get a good start and come ready to play."

Guentzel: "The start is huge for us. We have to take the crowd out of it and go from there. It's a hostile crowd. They feed off of it and they have a good record at home. We have to be ready for that and match their intensity."

ON IMPROVING THEIR GAME

Murray: "There's always room to improve. I definitely think that for us right now. We haven't been at our best. We haven't been bad by any means. I don't think we have been at our best. Any man in this room would say that. There is lots of room to improve and we're looking to learn from the past couple games and get better moving forward."

Crosby: "I think when you look back, even last game, our third period, it seemed like we were really on our toes. We played a little bit more loose. Doesn't mean that we were giving up chances. We just seemed to be a little more on our toes. When we play that way, a little more aggressive, we create a little bit more. You see the chances that we're able to get. You're playing a team you haven't seen in a long time. Coming off an emotional Game 7, maybe that had something to do with it. I think at this point both teams have a pretty good understanding, and we have to find a way to get to our game a little bit more."

Rust: "I think we have another level. I think we have showed some glimpses of it and we have had some short periods of time with it. We have to get better at it for a full 60-minute game."